The clients had searched five years across four states to find a site for their weekend home that spoke to them. The Lawless retreat was to be everything that their Chicago residence – a lofted space nestled within the attic trusses of a converted church – was not.
On the edge of Lake Michigan, this property contains both dense woods and a bluff to the sandy shore. Our challenge was to create a new, energy-efficient, low-maintenance vacation home that could comfortably accommodate multiple generations.
Sited upon a coastal dune landscape, the St Joseph residence seeks proportional balance. Balance between elemental exposure and domestic intimacy of prospect and refuge. Balance between the natural and the manmade (in landscape, form, material, to color, texture, furnishings.)
Deer Haven Residence is a 3,000sf home conceived as a narrow bars of space that follow and step down with the subtle contours of the site and unfold to the South to take advantage of the daily path of the sun and natural site air movements.
Saint Joseph house was recently completed by Chicago-based John Ronan Architects. This single-family residence on Lake Michigan is organized around a series of four outdoor courtyards in dialogue with the home’s interior rooms.
Architects: Desai Chia Architecture in collaboration with Environment Architects Project: Michigan Lake House Structural: Apex Engineering & Management Mechanical: Bayshore Engineering Lighting: Christine Sciulli Light + Design Landscape architect: Surface Design Inc. Envelope Consultant: James R. Gainfort AIA AV Waara Technologies Landscaper: Darling Botanicals Location: Leelanau County, Michigan, US Area: 4,800 SF Photography: Paul Warchol
Tower House is a sustainable retreat designed by Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects. High on a wooded hilltop above a lake in Michigan, the Tower House is the result of an inspiring collaboration between our team, clients with a passion for architecture as well as their site, and a skilled local contractor.
Designed by Fredman Design Group, this innovative retreat home in Union Pier, Michigan, showcases a striking blend of industrial and natural materials, making it a unique example of modern architectural design. The home’s façade combines wood and steel shipping containers, integrating traditional and industrial elements seamlessly.
